


Goddamn Autocorrect

by vrskaandrea



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Archangel Castiel (Supernatural), Chuck Shurley Being an Asshole, Chuck Shurley is God, Coming together as a family, Family, Family Issues, Feelings, Fighting God, God fight, Light Angst, Resolving Issues, Standing up, Writer Chuck Shurley, annoying autocorrect, apocalypse au, buterfly effect, changing the story, season 5 tag
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-01-26
Updated: 2020-01-26
Packaged: 2021-02-27 14:55:47
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,234
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22418857
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vrskaandrea/pseuds/vrskaandrea
Summary: Ever have this annoying feature ruin your day? Well, luckly for you, you are not God trying to use a written word to create whole worlds. So what happens when one little mistake takes the story in a whole new direction? Will Chuck let it play out, just to see what happens, or will he discard it as another failed draft and start anew?
Comments: 6
Kudos: 43





	Goddamn Autocorrect

If Chuck had to choose one thing he just loved about humanity it was their ingenuity, their ability to build and develop. How they progressed with everything, fire, wheel, homes, written word. Ah, yes, the written word. Chuck might have had a hand in that. A little brush of wind against the sands, a little carefully placed twig... And voila! The birth of the first letters.

And there came the ingenuity he loved so much. Every invention served to upgrade this written form of communication. From quills and parchments to pens and paper. And oh, when they invented the typewriter! The brilliance behind it, the way you could just type away your thoughts in such a rapid way. And OH! That sweet sound it made. The punch of every letter giving power to His words, every ding that indicated the end of a line, music to His ears. He honestly didn't think it could get any better than that.

And then those beautiful humans had to go and actually surprise Him. He saw the magnetic strips, the first bunch of ones and zeros and He saw the potential, but in only a matter of years it has gone from an idea to something tangible. Which brought Him here, now. Sitting in front of a laptop, a fully written page of Microsoft Word 2003 edition with a wide grin on His face.

He was holding a glass of whiskey and swirling it around, admiring His work. Yes, this latest event was one of his best comical solutions. He actually got the idea from a movie called Stay Tuned, and old one from 1992, featuring John Ritter. But he was a bit more merciful then the writers of that movie, at least he didn't drop Sam and Dean into a cartoon... Yet. No, he just let his son have some fun with them.

Chuck signed as he got up and walked towards the bathroom, the belt of his undone robe trailing behind him. He has gotten so much into the character of an old, washed up, B-rated writer, that he actually almost felt all the depression and anguish such a character would feel. At the end of the day, he had to look plausible, genuine for when the Winchesters came a knocking and that he did. He even threw them a few clues, a few hints... "I write things and then they come to life. Yeah, no, I'm definitely a _god_. A cruel, cruel, _capricious god_." He said to them. And they dismissed it. They thought they knew better, they thought they knew more.

Still, Chuck developed this habit of doing what the humans do. Eat. Sleep. Sing in the shower. Take a crapper. It is such a human, disgusting thing to do, but Chuck lived it. He loved the warmth of the bathroom seat and taking his time to either sit and read a magazine or contemplate on his next idea. It was true what they say – the toilet is where some of the best ideas were thought of. Like right now. Chuck knew how this book would end, with Sam taking a swan dive into the pit. But what about after that?

Chuck was still... waging ideas on that one, and he decided to let it go for now and finish this TV land chapter with a great reveal. But when he went to try and finish his business in the toilet, he found himself in a lack of a certain type of paper no human, writer or otherwise liked to be caught without. "I really should listen to my own words and hoard the toilet paper." Chuck muttered to Himself and snapped His fingers. Next second, he was back in His chair, sipping His Whiskey and giving the latest chapter a once over, a proof read if you will.

Every now and then, Chuck huffed and went to retype something. As much as He loved this new way of writing, there was one part of this invention Chuck did not look two pleased with. Autocorrect. This interesting feature bore as much good as it did bad. It fixed some spelling errors, offered better grammar solutions, but it also took in account the frequently used words, like changing _it, is_ into _I._

" _This is ridiculous. You can't keep doing I." said Dean to Castiel._ Yeah, that might have been how Destiel was born.

One time the Autocorrect changed _kill_ into _ill._

_Dean spun around and shot the werewolf straight to the heart, instantly illing it._ And Chuck actually laughed imagining the look on Sam and Dean's face when instead of dying, the werewolf started coughing and sniffing his running nose, wiping it into his sleeve. That was an interesting mistake Chuck quickly rewrote before he accidentally sent it as such. Because once He pressed sent, there was no turning back.

Oh, there was this one time, back when Chuck first introduced angels to the story. The annoying feature corrected the word _Angel,_ a word that Chuck hasn't used frequently before, into _Angle._ Can you imagine that? " _I am the one that gripped you tight and raised you from perdition. I am Castiel. I am an angle of the Lord."_ And suddenly, instead of a man, there was an actual angle wearing a trenchcoat standing in front of Dean.

Still, that Autocorrect... It just might be the end of him one day.

Chuck quickly skimmed though the last few paragraphs of the ' _Changing Channels_ ' chapter and smiled, content. He quite liked the title too, changing Chanels. Sure, He threw another son under the bus, but seeing them figure Gabriel out was... He was proud of this chapter, that was for sure. These past few chapters he has written a lot about the archangels, Lucifer and Michael (yes, for the sake of diversity, He sometimes refereed to Lucifer as the Devil, sometimes as Archangel). He even allowed the archangel Raphael to be 'the guardian of the Prophet of the Lord'. His son will stand by His side to defend Him and he will have no idea who he is standing next to. A cruel, capricious God, indeed.

By the end of this book, all four archangels will be in play, the big battle is coming and Chuck felt the excitement of a writer who is about to let the world see His accomplishments and give Him praises, talk about His book, admire it, live it, or love it ( _stupid Autocorrect)._ Chuck couldn't wait. So he poured the rest of the whiskey down His throat, set the glass on the table, leaned into his laptop and pressed _SEND._

* * *

"Tell me one thing... - Dean asked with a slight frown as Sam walked towards his brother and the trickster – Why didn't the stake kill you?"

Gabriel made a knowing face, and threw in a smile "I **am** the trickster."

There was a distinct sound of a Zippo lighter being opened and fired up as Dean replied "Or maybe, you're not." Sam threw said lighter at Gabriel's feet and let the fire spread, trapping the so-called trickster into a ring of holy fire. Gabriel watched the flames ignite around him and turned to give the hunters an amused look.

"Maybe you've always been an angel." Dean added, and Gabriel huffed a _that's-just-ridiculos_ laugh. He used his words and witt to try and show them they were mistaken, but deep down, Gabriel knew he was busted. He didn't know how though. He has faced demi-gods and a multitude of other humans and never once has he let anything slip, anything that would even remotely show who he really was. And these two? They just figured him out, like that.

"Mostly it was about how you talked about Armagedon." Dean explained.

Gabriel frowned and turned his gaze upon the elder hunter. "Meaning?"

Dean huffed and replied "Call it personal experience, but nobody gets that angry unless they're talking about their own family."

Oh, yeah, he had him there. Guess that was the reason they were able to see right through him. These two were so much like his older brothers, it was damn right ridiculous. (is it me, or does Chuck love to use that word a lot these days? There isn't anything ridiculous about the Apocalypse.)

"Gabriel. They call me Gabriel." He said as if he resented his given name, as it was, much like everything else, thrusted upon him without his permission.

"Gabriel? As in the archangel?" Sam asked still pissed, but a bit more vary now. And was that a glimpse of hope in his eyes? If the guy before them was really an archangel, could he help them? Would he? Sam listened to him explain about his little rouse, his own little witness protection program and could help but sympathize. Gabriel just wanted out. He wanted to step away from his family that was drowning him with their needs and their purpose and what they were meant to do.

Maybe Sam wasn't all that like Lucifer, maybe he was more like Gabriel. He didn't want to fight anymore, so he left. It was his choice to leave, despite what his father said when he told him he was going to Stanford. Much like Gabriel, he was just... Tired of it all.

And Sam listened, he listened as his big brother threatened a freaking archangel to bring Cas back. The tone, the concern in Dean's voice when Cas reappeared and when Dean asked him if he was ok, it confused Gabriel for a moment. He has never, not once in his long life seen such a bond between an angel and a human. He figured Castiel was the one who pulled _The Righteous Man_ out of the fiery pits of Hell, but for them to develop such friendship, such trust? Gabriel's eyes widened for only a second as the realization hit him.

Castiel has defected. Castiel chose to fight with these two instead with his own family.

"Hello Gabriel." said Castiel with a slightly pissed off expression.

"Hey bro!" replied the archangel with an amused smile.

"How the search for dad going? Let me guess, awful?" Gabriel frowned at his own words. Where the heck did that come from? That wasn't really what he wanted to say. And before he knew it the boys were turning and walking away, the angel following them every step of the way.

"... You... You're just gonna leave me here forever?"

Dean turned, Sam and the angel followed and they all stop to look at the archangel that stood trapped in a ring of fire, all parties lightly pissed, slightly hurt.

"No. We're not. Cuz we don't screw with people the way you do." Dean replied angrily. "And for the record. This isn't about some prize fight between your brothers. This isn't about some destiny that can't be stopped. This is about you being too afraid to stand up to your family!" Dean spat out as the archangel watched him with eyes wide.

Stand up to family? Did Dean really say that? Dean, the _Yes, sir!,_ daddy's obedient son telling him to stand up to family? Maybe the elder hunter isn't like his brother Michael after all? Right now, Gabriel saw more in common with Castiel then with Michael. Standing up to family... Standing up for what's right.

Dean smashed the glass of the fire alarm and pulled the lever, starting up the sprinklers and extinguishing the flames. Gabriel brought his confused and sad gaze back on the hunters and the archangel as they stared pity at him.

"Don't say I never did anything for you." Dean yelled through the fire alarm and pushed the door open, exiting the warehouse. Sam followed with his head hung low and Castiel paused to glance back at his brother, sad he chose the wrong path.

* * *

Chuck pressed _SEND._ He pressed sent and the ground shook. He pressed _SEND_ and heavy clouds developed over Wellington, Ohio. He pressed _SEND_ and thunder roared throughout the land.

Chuck jumped in His chair and quickly pulled His laptop closer. Shit. What did He do? What went wrong? And He leaned into the written text, carefully rereading what he sent. He spotted some small mistakes like _two_ instead of _too,_ and _live_ instead of _love_ , but for the love of Him, He couldn't find what would cause this. Damn it! He took a deep breath and started reading again.

(Chuck can't find the mistake in the section before, can you? If not, I will soon be clear, don't worry. But in case you caught on, I am hoping you see just how much this little _Autocorrect_ can alter the arc of the original plot)

* * *

Meanwhile, back in Wellington, Ohio, Dean pushed the door open and stomped his way out of the warehouse. Sam followed with his head hung low, deep in his thoughts. Castiel followed, but he only managed one step out of the building when a white, blinding pain ripped right through him and he screamed so loud, his true voice emerged and shuttered the windows that weren't already broken.

Both brothers whipped around just in time to see their friend drop to his knees, head jerked towards the sky. They both ran to him and before they could grasp what was happening, they were both running into Bobby's couch, tumbling over it and crashing into one another. As quickly as they could they both untangled and jump upright, spinning around, looking for Cas that was nowhere to be seen.

They didn't even raise their hands, much less react when Bobby ran into his own living room, wielding a shotgun, trigger happy and on high alert. But he immediately calmed down seeing his two boys there, the dumb-asses who had a tenancy to literally drop in, especially since they discovered the Angel Airways. All three flinched when they heard a heavy thump outside and looked out of the window to see Dean's car being teleported into Bobby's yard.

"What did you two idjits do now?" Bobby asked with a deep frown. Both boys looked up at him, not really sure themselves what happened. All they knew was that Cas was in trouble, something hurt him and they just walked out on a trickster-turned-archangel almost leaving him trapped in a ring of the holy fire. Not wise. Gabriel wouldn't hurt Cas, would he?

"Cas? Cas, where are you man?" Dean tried calling out to the angel, but instead of having Cas pop up like he normally would, probably right next to Dean, all they got was a loud shreeking sound that hurt their ears. Dean knew that sound, that was the sound Castiel made when he tried to talk to him with his true voice. But it seemed a bit toned down, muffled and... Like it was coming from under them?

Dean's eyes blew wide and he looked back at his brother that shared his expression. Bobby's panic room! But before either could make their way out of Bobby's living room, Gabriel appeared before them with a serious expression.

"You!?" Bobby shouted, anger inside of him rising. The damn trickster that killed Dean over a hundred times and made Sam watch. The old hunter raised his shotgun once more, knowing it wouldn't kill him, but hoping to do some damage at least.

With a raised finger, Gabriel warned "Don't. Otherwise you are just gonna end up with... - _BANG!_ \- ... A hole in your wall..." Gabriel's tone deflated as Bobby actually took the shot and had the *pallets go straight through the illusion of Gabriel and straight through Bobby's wall. The archangel turned to glance at the wall before focusing his raised brow at the group.

"Tried to tell ya. That doesn't really work on an illusion. Not that it would work on the real deal either..." Gabriel mocked with a condescending tone and got interrupted when Bobby all but barked at him.

"Get her sorry trickster ass off my property!" Bobby shouted and pumped the shotgun in an intimidating way

Gabriel rolled his eyes at the man. "Not really a trickster. And, sorry, no can do. Your little... Iron doomsday bunker is the safest place right now and..."

"What did you do to Cas?!" Dean interrupted and got a glare out of the archangel who really really hated being interrupted. He couldn't speak his mind back when he was in Heaven, he never got the chance next to Michael and Lucifer, and being interrupted always reminded him of that.

" **I**... Didn't do anything. Something is happening to him, something is... Changing him. Like I was saying, the dungeon your friend has downstairs is the safest place to both contain him and hide him from Heaven's eyes. " He glanced at Bobby as he added " You do know your wardings old man. I only had to add a little angel pzaz to keep Castiel well hidden."

"Angel pzaz?" Bobby asked with a frown, gripping his shotgun tight.

A wide grin broke across Gabriel's face as he bowed, gesturing his hand in an appropriate way. "Archangel Gabriel, messenger of the Lord and an occasional trickster at your service." He raised his head and watched with amusement as it dawned on the older hunter just who Gabriel really was. But in the next second all playfulness was wiped off his face as he extended his hand and let Dean run into it. His chest made contact with the very tangible hand of the archangel as Gabriel stopped him.

"You can't go down there. Not yet. Not until it passes." He warned.

"Why not?" Dean asked spitefully, eyeing the former trickster. He knew if Gabriel really wanted, he could just snap his fingers and stop him, so why act like this?

" Hey, if you want your eyes burnt, your ears deaf and your insides on the outside, be my guest." Gabriel answered raising his hands in a surrender mode. But when he brought his gaze back on the hunters, there was some warmth mixed in with that seriousness as Gabriel added. "I got him."

* * *

**Fifteen minutes prior**

Gabriel was just about to snap his way out of that warehouse when he felt the ground shake. And then he heard it. He heard the angelic cry of his baby brother and watched through the open door as Castiel dropped on his knees, his grace pulsating at an alarming rate. Not that Gabriel ever heard of grave doing that. ( _Grave?_ Really _Autocorrect?_ That's what you are going for? Funniest thing, this little mistake was the actual Autocorrect in work, wasn't done on purpose. Lucky coincidence, huh?)

The archangel had two milliseconds to decide what to do. Stay and help, or leave and let the Winchesters handle it. But it wasn't really that hard of a choice. Seeing his brother in pain and hearing that angelic cry that ripped right through his ears straight down to his heart made the decision for him. Despite having turned his back on his family, he couldn't just walk away from this. Not from his hurting brother. Not from Castiel.

When they were created, there were a few angels that drew Gabriel's attention. Four of them, all just a bit mischievous, just a bit playful reminded the archangel so much of him and his brothers.

Samandriel. He was a spitting image of Gabriel, so interested in everything human, so infatuated with all things man made, candy especially. Candy and Hot dogs.

Balthazar. Playful and a devilish little thing, so much like Lucifer. Like Lucifer used to be. So caring of his brothers, but never really letting it show, his head always raised high and his thoughts and desires a bit sinful.

Uriel. Always stoic and always calm, his eyes darting everywhere, absorbing everyone's actions. And just like Raphael, completely disgusted by humanity. But the caring for his family, for Heaven was unprecedented. His brothers and sisters always came first.

And finally, Castiel. The little one. Eyes filled with wonder, but still so scared to speak his mind, so fearful of what he should and shouldn't do. He was constantly zooming around with bright, smiling face, his grace shining just a tad bit brighter then everyone else's. Gabriel really thought Castiel was going to grow into a strong, merciful angel.

Seeing his little brother after all these years, everything that made him burn so bright gone, his opinion molded to suit the Heaven's needs. He has been reduced to a mere shadow of his former wonder, all potential beaten down and locked up; left behind in the interest of making soldiers.

But still, out of all of them, Castiel still shone just a tad bit brighter. He could see it when the angel came to the brother's rescue, when he tried to help them, to warn them. He could see that little spark in his eyes when Castiel turned to glance back at Gabriel, hope never leaving him that maybe, just maybe, Gabriel would come back and reclaim his place and tell them what they are doing isn't right. The path of good intentions will lead to Heaven's downfall.

And after that, seeing his brother hurt, hearing his heart-wrenching scream... How could Gabriel walk away from that? So within the next two milliseconds, Gabriel snapped the brothers (and Dean's precious Impala) back to Bobby's, caught his brother in his arms before he fell to the ground and looked deep in his eyes, seeing the spark of hope getting distorted. Something was wrong. Something was terribly wrong. But this wasn't the time nor the place, Castiel needed safe haven. Luckily, the old hunter had something that can work, with a bit of tweaking, of course.

Gabriel snapped them to Bobby's basement and immediately sent an illusion to hold back the boys. Whatever was happening to Castiel would be too much for a human to handle, as it was shown when the angel cried out unable to hold in his true voice. Slowly and carefully, he lowered his brother down onto an old cot, too bare and uncomfortable for their needs, but seeing Castiel wince harshly at any movement, trying and failing to contain his tears trying and failing to maintain his tough soldier facade, Gabriel figured this old run down bed would have to do for now. He snapped some of Castiel's layers away and made him as comfortable as possible and then he conjured some water. He leaned back to his brother, reaching to lift his head so he can take a sip when Castiel's gruff voice sent a stake to his heart.

"G…Gabriel…" One word. That one word bore so much emotion no human could possibly read. It bore Hope, hope that his brother has returned. It bore Fear, fear of what was happening to him. It bore Sadness, sadness that he felt when his brother left. It bore Warning, warning that he _WILL_ break down if Gabriel gives him false hope and then just leaves again. It bore Clarity, clarity which proved, to him and to his brother that he was doing the right thing by siding with the boys. And it bore Love. Love towards his brother, love that he needed to show in case he drew his very last breath right here on this dirty cot.

"It's ok, little one, I gotcha, I gotcha." Gabriel tried to sooth, swallowing hard as he gazed into his brothers ever so blue eyes.

"Not… A..(ugh)… Little…One… Anymore." Castiel replied through clenched teeth, trying, trying and failing to fight the pain that was ripping him in two. And the worst part was that he didn't even know what was happening to him. And if the look on Gabriel's face was any indication, neither did he.

Gabriel wanted to say, he wanted to tease that no matter what, Castiel would always be the little one for him, but he couldn't get it past his lips. Instead, he assured. "Doesn't matter. I gotcha anyway." His tone changed to emphasize the next words out of his mouth, making sure he angel heard him and understood. "I am here. And I am not going anywhere."

And indeed, Gabriel remained there. He stayed with his brother on his death bed and watched him grunt and scream out in pain, watched his fever rise, watched him sweat and shake from the cold air that surrounded them. He sat there and watched his angel brother perish before his eyes and Gabriel too screamed and cried and yelled at the sky, unable to do anything else. He tried, oh how did he try. But every time he reached out with his grace to try and heal Castiel, he would get a powerful shock to his system, like he was being repelled by a much more powerful force that wouldn't allow any interference.

So he sat there and cried his eyes out, a small linger of hope drowning him, hope that this was just some change the angel was going through, and not his definite death. Because Gabriel didn't think he could handle that right now. Every time Castiel started trashing on the bed, consciousness long lost, Gabriel would jump and hold him down, whispered words of calm and comfort into his ear, telling him that it would be alright. That everything will be alright. It turned into a mantra he started repeating, trying hard to believe it himself.

Gabriel watched as his angelic brother took his last shallow breath and then everything went quiet. Too quiet and too still. Gabriel brought his face into his hands and sobbed quietly not wanting to disturb the deathly silence.

Castiel, the angel of the Lord was no more.

* * *

Chuck face-palmed so hard, the sound echoed throughout the empty house. After rereading the damn thing five times, he finally found it, the little slip up, the little mistake that he didn't make. He slumped back in his chair with a heavy sigh, considering whether to blow the laptop to smithereens. And then go back in time and find whoever invented this annoying feature and blow that person to smithereens too.

"Goddamn Autocorrect!" He yelled as he smashed His hand on the table. There it was, that little stupid thing staring back at Him, taunting him.

It was right after he wrote Dean smashing the glass of the fire alarm and _"Gabriel brought his confused and sad gaze back on the hunters and the_ _ **arch**_ _angel as they stared pity at him."_ Chuck referred to Castiel as an ARCHangel. NO! It was the _Autocorrect_ 's fault, Chuck didn't do that! He would never do that.

"Well, that's just... Peachy! - Chuck said glaring at the laptop – Now what do I do?" Indeed, once He pressed _SEND_ there wasn't anything that He could do aside from sit and watch it develop. That, or scrap the whole thing and start over.

But then Chuck looked closely, looked at what this little slip was doing, the way it was making Gabriel act. He didn't think the archangel had those emotions hidden within. He didn't think Gabriel would ever react in such a manor. He had to admit, he found it intriguing. He found it curious. Of course He would, He was a sucker for hurt and angst. Oh, how are the boys going to react? He had to wait and see where this would go.

* * *

Dean was pacing in the kitchen, his beer forgotten in his hand. Sam was sitting in a chair, foot tapping nervously on the ground. Both boys had a serious expression, mixed with slight worry and anticipation. Bobby was nose deep in some lore books, secretly raising his head from time to time to glance at the boys. The illusion of Gabriel stood opposite, looking like a statue. Face stone cold, staring somewhere in the distance. He stood there, seemingly unfazed by any minute that passed.

He stood there, appearing frozen in spot. He stood there until he suddenly broke down, his knees giving up on him and he buckled down, soundless, with just tears streaming down his pale, shocked face. And then he vanished.

Sam and Dean watched the illusion with wide eyes and pleas for information until it disappeared, making both of them whip around and head for the basement. Cas was just an angel, one of many, but he has saved them and help them and stood by their side, they have come to consider him a friend. And with Lucifer free and the Apocalypse so immanent, they needed any friend they could get. Dean busted the door open and ran down the stairs, his brother following close behind. But when they reached the door to the panic room, a strong invisible pulse threw them back and both hit the wooden staircase hard, sliding down and falling to the ground with a loud thud. The second time they slowed their approach and carefully walked closer, opening a latch and peaking in.

Both of them gasped seeing Castiel lying still on the old cot, Gabriel sobbing quietly next to him. Dean reached for the knob, not sure if he wanted to disrupt the archangel in his grief, not sure if he wanted to go inside and face the truth, that their friend was gone. Still, they needed to see what happened, they needed to understand.

They both stepped into the room and Dean was just about to ask what happened, but instead of his voice, loud thunder filled the room. The ground started shaking again and the air became so dry. Gabriel lifted his confused, bloodshot eyes to the vessel that was once his baby brother and in the next second they widened.

"Cover your eyes!" He yelled as he quickly stood up and turned towards the Winchesters, a shadow of his wings enveloping them for protection. Thunder roared right there in Bobby's basement and lightening struck in the dead center of the room, creating a giant crater in the place where the angel's body used to be. Sam and Dean screamed as they were engulfed in such a bright light that burned their eyes straight down to their souls.

Both were panting hard and grunting in pain, down on their knees, still holding their hands over their blinded eyes. The room was suddenly quiet again. Too quiet.

"What's… What's going on? Ga..." Dean started, but gasped feeling the familiar sensation of two fingers pressed against his forehead, and breathed out, the pain behind his eyes gone completely. He opened them and looked over at his brother, making sure Sam was alright too before focusing back on the figure in front of them. Dean half expected it to be Cas, it was the angel who has healed their wounds before.

But this time… This time it was Gabriel. Gabriel, who only spared them a glance before turning around to look down at the smoking crater. Dean got up and Sam followed, both coming closer and looked down into the crater, confusion flashing upon their faces, questions rising within them. There was some visible motion and suddenly, a familiar figure in a trenchcoat rose up, levitating with some invisible force, his head lifted up towards the sky.

Castiel brought his gaze down on the audience and his eyes shone bright blue, brighter than they normally did, and Dean huffed a breath of relief he didn't even know he was holding. But what happened? Cas was fine and then he was ding, dead and now? Now he is fine again?

Castiel set his foot back on the ground and then the other, landing gracefully. He straightened his back and cast a shadow of his wings on the back wall. All three watched as the lightning flashed and manifested the angels' wings, now so much different than before. Bigger. Glorious. Breath-taking. Maybe Castiel wasn't just fine as Dean thought. Something has definitely changed.

Gabriel was the first one to take a step closer. Not that Dean or Sam feared Cas in anyway, but they were too stumped by what has happened, and quite frankly, too human to really grasp the change that took place within their friend. Gabriel came closer, lifting his right hand to place it gently on Castiel's chest and asked, eyes filled with hope and plea that this was still his baby brother that was standing before him. Not another changed, improved, brainwashed version.

"C… Cassie?" Gabriel's lower lip trembled and he sucked in a silent breath when Castiel turned to glare at him with slight anger in his eyes.

"Don't… Call me that."

And Gabriel huffed a breath and then a laugh, and then started laughing while more tears spilled and he took another step forward and hugged the stiff archangel before him. Gabriel was so relieved to see his little brother was alright that he didn't care about anything else.

"Cas?" Came Dean's voice from somewhere behind Gabriel, and he pulled away, allowing Castiel to see and be seen.

"I am alright, Dean." the angel assured, not really sure himself why it needed to be said.

"Alright? Alright? – Gabriel questioned – You, my friend, are so much more than alright." He added with a gentle smile and Cas turned to him, squinting his eyes.

"Did you do this?" He asked, not sure how he should feel if Gabriel indeed did it. Or if he didn't. Or if he should feel at all. Gabriel shook his head with his hands raised high in surrender and they shared a look, both knowing there was only one person who had the power to do that.

"Do what?" It was Sam's turn to question, but neither angel moved to look at him just yet, much less reply. They stared at each other for a moment, graces reaching out to feel the other ones, Gabriel's curious of the sheer power the other one held, Castiel's curious of its own abilities. And then they smiled at each other.

It was Gabriel who finally spoke. "Oh, the rest are gonna be so pissed. We got a baby brother." He said with a smile, never breaking eye contact with Cas.

Cas frowned at him replying "I am not a baby."

"Well, not technically, but you still are the youngest of us now. Mike and Ralph are gonna blow a casket." Gabriel teased, a small attempt of a smile tugging Castiel's lips at that thought, but he quickly let it drop, not allowing himself a proper smile. Not yet.

"ALRIGHT! WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON?!" Dean sounded pissed and so done with it all.

Castiel tilted his head to look at his protégée while Gabriel turned to give them one of the most devilish smirks they have ever seen.

"Boys… It is my pleasure to introduce to you Castiel… The archangel of the Lord."

* * *

"You're a what now?" Bobby asked as they all came back up to the kitchen and explained to the old hunter what happened.

"An archangel. A quite powerful one too. More powerful than me or Ralphy." Gabriel was the one to respond, maybe just a bit gleaming with pride.

"I am the same as I was before. – Castiel tried to assure, like he didn't want them to think this changed who he was in any way – Just with a little bit more…"

"Pzaz!" Gabriel shouted ending Castiel sentence with a bang and making everyone flinch, which wasn't helping at all. Cas gave him an annoyed glare before he turned back to the brothers.

"It is irrelevant. We still have a war to prevent and to stop Lucifer before he destroys the Earth." Castiel's voice bore seriousness that was quickly pfff-ed by Gabriel.

"First off – Gabriel started pointing a finger at Castiel – It isn't _irrelevant!_ You, little bro, are a much more powerful being now, and second…"

"Don't call me little." Cas interrupted.

"Second… - Gabriel continued stretching the word – with the two of us, we actually stand a chance to stop them. Stop them from fighting. Make them see reason and end this mindless destruction once and for all." Gabriel's voice turned serious, no one has ever heard him speak like that. Like he really wanted it, wanting the fighting to stop. Wanting them to… Just be a family again.

"Even with me becoming an archangel, we are still outnumbered. And can we really fight what is destined to happen?" Cas asked with the same grave seriousness.

"Haven't you heard? ' _There is no fate, but the one we make ourselves.'_ \- Gabriel turned to the brothers – Seriously, what have you two been teaching him? Why hasn't he seen the Terminator?"

"Gabriel. – Cas pulled him back into the matter at hand – There are still three of them against the two of us. Three archangels that want this war to happen. Lucifer wants to destroy Father's work, Michael is just obediently following our Father word and Raphael wants Paradise on Earth. Not to mention thousands upon thousands of angels and demons at their disposal."

"Oh, Cassie…" Gabriel started.

"Don't call me that…" Cas interjected.

"Bro. It is all about politics and illusions. Sure, it is a measuring contest and right now, they have more inches on us, but if we can convince them we have Dad on our side… With a little dress up and play pretend, we can totally talk our way out of this one."

All the while, Sam and Dean along with Bobby just listened to this exchange, a few times each wanted to intervene, but stopped when an angel spoke. Finally, Dean managed to slip a question.

"Why would they think we have God on our side?"

Cas opted to respond, but Gabriel was faster.

"Cuz, Dean-o, no one, and I mean no one has the power to turn an angel into an archangel but dear old Dad."

"Guess my search for Him wasn't a complete waste." Cas offered refereeing to Gabriel's statement back in the warehouse and Gabriel sucked a breath of utter surprise.

"Did I hear sarcasm there? You teasing _me?_ My, what has become of you, brother dearest." Gabriel said in a fake offense and Castiel actually smiled for a brief second.

"Gabriel, please, let's return to the matter at hand." Castiel urged, trying himself to get back on the track. " Let's say we can convince them Father is on our side. But if they…"

"If they call on your bluff, we are all screwed." Dean interjected annoyed they were being left out of this conversation. It was their lives after all, their lives and the lives of everyone else on the planet.

"Well, they wouldn't be calling _our_ bluff. They would be calling upon yours." Gabriel responded.

"What are you talking about?/What?/ What is it you had in mind Gabriel?" Dean, Sam and Cas all spoke at once, all three asking the same thing. But it was Castiel's glare that captured Gabriel's attention. The archangel smirked at his brother as he glanced at the hunters and replied with a playful tone.

"I was thinking we take away their swords."

* * *

"Oh, this is good!" Chuck grinned leaning into his laptop. This is really putting an interesting twist on the story he had thought of in his head. Never in a million years did he think this could take such a direction. Oh, he had to see this for himself. Smiling like a mad man, he pulled his laptop closer and started typing a few chosen words into the chat window, hinting a few things to his number one fan.

Two days later, Sam and Dean stopped a bunch of children's ghosts from hurting people at a supernatural convention. It went just like Chuck originally planned, right down to him stepping up and keeping the ghosts at bay. Not once had he caught a glimpse of what he knew was there all along. Well, maybe just there in the end, when Sam said "No more books, Chuck. I mean it.". There was a spark in his eyes that said Chuck should heed the warning that Sam's tone bore. Ah, if only they knew who they were talking to.

Next the boys caught wind of a certain gun, but after being assured the Colt would have no effect on an archangel, they dropped the case and didn't walk into a certain trap that would have killed Ellen and Jo. This time, they got to live to fight another day.

When the boys checked into a mental hospital to help a fellow hunter by the name of Martin, it is then that Gabriel got really upset with Castiel and made it his mission to teach his kid brother some very important survival skills.

Like the art of an illusion. An illusion that got it's ass whipped by Anna back in 1978, when she tried and failed to kill Mary and John Winchester. Castiel was so nervous they would be discovered, but the older hunter's assurances made the whole meeting with Michael go just as Chuck had planned it. But oh... When Michael said he didn't want it, he didn't want to hurt Lucifer any more then Dean would want to hurt Sammy... That was the first hint that maybe, just maybe their plan might work. Especially when Michael said this was what God wanted to happen. There was an opening there, an opening that just might make him change his mind about what God actually wanted.

And then Elysian Fields Hotel happened and Gabriel sort of revealed himself and decided to stand up to his brother. But when Lucifer charged him after Gabriel pushed him away to save Kali, it wasn't really clear if he was going for an attack or a hug. "Not this time." Gabriel responded either way, holding up an angel blade. Oh, the pissy look on Lucifer's face when he called his actions a temper tantrum, calling him a spoiled brat. He had him right there when he said the humans are better because they try to do better, to forgive. Gabriel took a stance and chose a side. Their side.

"Brother, don't make me do this." Lucifer said.

"No one makes us do anything." Gabriel replied.

Yeah, right.

And Lucifer might have been vicious with his kill, but there was instant sorrow in his shaky breath as he took a step backwards to allow it to sink in. He has killed his brother. A brother he loved and raised.

While this was happening, Sam and Dean pulled Kali out of the Hotel and drove off. Sam glanced at Dean a few minutes later and just nodded. There was an actual chance that this just might work.

* * *

Few days later Lucifer, still wearing his old vessel that was barely holding him stepped into the holy ground of the Stull Cemetery. The ground shook with each step he took. But what was he doing here, now? He had a feeling he had to be here, that something was drawing him here, but it felt wrong. He felt wrong. Like he was supposed to be someone else.

Thunder broke over the cemetery and lightning tore the skies, making the Devil look up. When his gaze was brought back down, there was a boy standing three graves across. No, not a boy. Not just any boy. A vessel. A Winchester vessel. But a wrong one. This isn't how the story was supposed to go, both Michael and Lucifer felt it.

And then... Then there was a light breeze. The wind slowly but steadily picked up, going into a whole blown hurricane. And out of it stepped a serious face of an African American who seemed so lost. So lost and so confused. Like he wasn't supposed to be there. Like he was supposed to be somewhere else.

Confusion broke over Lucifer's and Michael's face too, seeing their brother there. This was supposed to be the final battle, the grand fight, not a family reunion. All three stood there, all three eyeing each other not sure what they were supposed to do. And Lucifer saw the opportunity in that.

He tried to dissuade Micheel from the destined fight, saying this was all one of God's silly little tests. They didn't really have a clue what they are supposed to do, what the right answer was. He offered for all of them to simply... Walk away.

But Michael couldn't, wouldn't do that. He knew that whatever brought them there was Father's will and his orders must be and will be carried out. It was Michael's destiny to kill Lucifer.

Raphael simply stood there, taking in every said word, not moving a muscle. He had his suspicions that God was dead, but this new development made him question this. All he ever wanted was the Paradise, a safe haven for his little brothers and sisters away from the corruption of the humanity.

So all three stood there, neither moving, neither doing much else but watch the other two, neither knowing how to start.

Suddenly roaring thunder echoed through the cemetery. No. It was no thunder. It was the unmistakable sound of an engine of a 69 Chevy Impala as it rolled into the cemetery, stopping just a few feet away from the three Archangels and letting out two very familiar faces. Every other party frowned.

There was one thing all three Archangels had in common. Their growing hatred for the Winchester boys. They were the most stubborn, co-dependent, annoying humans that just wouldn't die and wouldn't submit to what was asked of them.

"Well? - Dean said with a raised brow and a smirk - We were promised front row seats for the Apocalypse. So? What are you waiting for?" He and his brother crossed their arms and leaned against the hood of the Impala.

Lucifer fumed, clenching his fists and sending death glares their way. This was supposed be about him and about his family, not about two insufferable humans that just don't know when to quit. Michael frowned, slightly confused. Both boys somehow managed to evade becoming vessels for him and his brother and help them achieve what was written millenias ago. So then, why are they here now? Raphael knew the answer. They were there to stop them all, to stop the destruction of Earth and it's inhabitants. Like they ever mattered.

Lucifer took a step towards them and Sam raised his finger at him. "Pa, pa, pa... I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"I am only taking what is rightfully mine." Lucifer said, but still stopped advancing. There was something strange about Sam, something different. It was like Lucifer was stuck in one of those days where nothing is what it is supposed to be.

"Sorry, bucko. This hunk is already taken." Sam's voice spoke, but it wasn't Sam, no way, no how. There was this playfulness and spite in that tone. There was a smile on his face and amusement in his eyes as he watched his brother's come to the realization just who it was that was standing before them, playing around. And then Sam's eyes flashed archangel blue.

"Gabriel?" Michael questioned with some hope in his eyes. Was it really his brother, the one who was presumed dead, terminated of this world? Where has he been this whole time?

"Aren't you... Aren't you supposed to be dead?" Raphael asked.

"Well, thanks to Luci over here, I almost was... Guess the student has surpassed his teacher when it comes to tricks and illusions, hey bro?" Gabriel tilted his head at his decomposing brother.

Completely ignoring what Gabriel was saying, Lucifer asked "How long?"

A wide grin spreads across Sam's face.

"Since way before the Elysian Fields."

Lucifer threw his hands in the air and turned away brother. "Really? Then what was the point? Why would you let me kill an illusion of you, why... Why go through all of that?"

"To see if it was really about Dad's creations or if it was about us, about our family." Gabriel responded in a calm mater, knowingly glaring back at his brother. He let that linger for a moment before he added " You don't really want this fight to happen, do you? You don't want to have to kill Michael? Or... Maybe... You would let him kill you, just so that you don't have to go through the pain of taking your brother's life... - cue a smile - Am I close?"

Lucifer actually scoffed and glared at him for a moment, before his expression turned slightly sad and he hung his head low. Yup, he was busted. After being forced to kill Gabriel, or what he now knew was an illusion, Lucifer was struggling, really struggling and in pain. He killed his brother. It weight down on him hard, and he didn't expect it to. The pain was unbearable and just a thought of him having to kill another... No, it was out of the question. So he devised a plan. A plan to come and confront Michael, battle him and inflict some damage to make it look realistic and then... Then allow Michael to strike him down. It would have been a win-win. He would be liberated of all this pain and Michael would have obeyed Daddy and end the evil serpent.

Maybe there was a world out there where he did just that. Maybe there was an alternative universe where he let Michael win and he let Michael kill him. He wondered if that Michael was happy afterwards. Maybe that world was a much better place. Little did Lucifer know, such a world did exist, and the fact that Michael killed his brother drove him mad. Mad enough to turn the entire world into a waste land. Mad enough to curse and swear His Father for making him kill his baby brother. Mad at himself for listening and obeying in the first place.

"Is this true, brother? You would allow yourself to be killed so that you didn't have to kill me?" Michael asked taking a wavering step forward, his hand moving up, extending for a second, but stopping mid way. Lucifer didn't respond, didn't even lift his head to look at Michael who was having one helluva internal dilemma. Has it really come to that? Was he really that blind to Father's word? Blind enough to actually kill his own sibling just because he though Father wanted it? "I... – Michael darted the ground, confused – I thought this... This is what everyone wanted, I thought this was what was supposed to happen... I never... I never thought..."

"You never wanted this to happen." Dean stated and it made Michael look back at him for only a moment before he swung his head in Lucifer's direction. "Maybe God doesn't want it to happen either." Dean added and Michael gasped, eyes still glued to his brother. Could it be? Dared he dream that Father changed his mind? Proof was everywhere. Them meeting like this, without their true vessels, all this information coming to light. Father was changing everything. Michael's lower lip started to shake as he took another step towards his brother, his hand reaching for him.

"Stop!" Raphael finally spoke, coming between Lucifer and Michael, much like his attitude, his back was turned toward Lucifer. "Don't you see brother? They are lying. They are just trying to stop us, delay us. Gabriel is in cahoots with the Winchesters and he is interfering with the Grand Plan." Raphael glanced at Sam and Gabriel cocked an eyebrow at him. "This is our destiny, brother. It is our destiny to wipe the world of all evil and create Paradise on Earth, claim it or Heaven! It is what Father would have wanted."

"And how would you know what God wanted? – Dean interjected having all heads turn his way – Did you say a while back that he is dead? That he has left us, forsaken us? So why would it even matter what he wanted?"

Raphael swallowed while fire rose in his eyes and he raised his hand, clenched his fist and jerked it. And then frowned. Dean was supposed to wale in pain while Raphael was twisting his insights. But instead, nothing happened.

And Dean? Dean was looking at him with amusement and huffed a smile, shaking his head. He still remembered meeting the archangel for the first time, he and Cas trapping him in a ring of holy fire. When Raphael claimed God was dead. When he threatened he would kill Cas one day. And when Cas called him... " A little bitch."

"What?" Raphael demanded, fury upon his face.

"Cas called you his little bitch. You still are. – Dean replied and shifted his gaze to the ground – Isn't that right, Cas?"

"It is correct, Dean."

All eyes went wide and stared at Dean, as the hunter's eyes glowed so bright, thundered roaring, lightning flashing, and Castiel's new, bigger wings manifesting as a shadow in the air.

"Oh, did I forget to mention? Daddy made us a new brother..." Gabriel teased and laughed at the baffled expressions on everyone's faces.

If there was ever any proof, any evidence that God decided the apocalypse shouldn't happen, and also prove that he is still alive, this would be it. An angel turned into an archangel. Castiel's display of power swiped any doubt any one of them could ever develop, as they could see his divine power, they could feel him as... One of them.

"Now the question you have gotta ask yourself is... What do you want? Not what Dad wants, not what your brothers want, but what do you want?" Gabriel asked, glancing over all three brothers, the question directed at each of them. "Do you want to fight? Cuz if you do, you better prepare for the third side of this war – Gabriel gestured at Cas and himself – Or..." Cue dramatic pause... "Or, do you want us to be a family again?"

...

Silence lingered long as the three archangels darted the ground and then at each other, fear, hope, confusion, love, all emotions written in their eyes. Gabriel knew, he knew well they all wanted the second option. But will they be brave enough to take it? Will they have enough courage to try? (Maybe they need a push in the right direction?)

~clap~

~clap~

~clap~

All eyes snapped back to see who dared break the silence, who dared interfere in this moment. Chuck stood there, leaning on a random tree, clapping at Gabriel's performance.

"Well done. Really. Well done..." Chuck said as he pushed himself upright and started walking towards the archangels. The closer he came, the more evident was the power that he held. Every step he made towards them made it that more clear that it was no Prophet of the Lord who was so rude to interrupt a family reunion.

"No... No... I... I stood before you..." Raphael started and Castiel added.

"So did I."

"I threatened to kill you if you wrote any more books." Gabriel said with a frown.

"Yes, it is me, yes, I am alive and no, Gabriel, you cannot simply kill me. You don't have the power. Besides, the world would come to an end if you did. But I guess it doesn't matter anyway, this world will be ending soon."

"What do you mean?" Lucifer dared ask.

"Well, you see... This – he motioned towards the Winchesters – This wasn't supposed to happen. No, Sam was supposed to say yes to you. That – he motioned towards Michael – that _was_ supposed to happen. But anyway, you were supposed to be stopped by the Winchesters and them having a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching moment and then Sam was supposed to take control from you..."

"Take control?" Lucifer asked bewildered.

"Yes, son, take control. It was going to be this epic moment where Dean rolls in with the impala and..." Chuck trailed off seeing nothing but confused faces and he knew he lost his audience. SO he reluctantly skipped it, they would have to see it to understand, anyway. "Never mind. Bottom line, you two were supposed to end up in the cage together with Sam and Adam, and Dean was supposed to walk away, broken. A beautiful tragic ending. So much angst."

"Lemme get one thing straight here – Gabriel shook his head – This... All of this was about the boys? About two humans? What about us? What about your sons? Hell, what about the rest of the world?" Without meaning to, Gabriel flared something up, and not just in Lucifer, but in Michael and Raphael too. Gabriel had a fair point and it was becoming clearer by the second. God never cared. Not about them, not about His family, not even about His own creation.

"Oh, Gabriel... Poor little Gabriel. Don't you see? You are just another character in one of my many stories. And while this one was fun, it is kinda, sorta leaning towards a happy ending, and sorry, can't have that." Chuck said it like it was nothing, like it was just a misspelled word he was going to use a backspace to delete. Just like that.

"You cannot be serious – Cas demanded – What about me? Why make me an archangel if you're just going to end it all?" Did Chuck do that just to see him suffer though the transformation, to see Gabriel weep? No, there had to be a different reason, there had to be more to it.

"Actually, that – Chuck motioned at all of Cas, or better said, all of Dean – That was a typo. A mistake. And not even mine, there is this little feature called _Autocorrect_ that…" No, Chuck wasn't losing his audience again, he just lifted his head to see faces of completed disbelief. "Never mind." He finished.

"You are really going to… Just… Delete us, Father? Delete our story? Discard us like a failed draft?" Michael finally found the courage to speak up, glancing at all of his brother before focusing his eyes upon his Father once more. One hint. One little clue is all he needed to be sure Father is either trying to do something different, that he is still trustworthy and just being mysterious.

"Yes, Michael. I am going to snap my fingers and pull the plug on this story. Without my light it will parish immediately, and all of you along with it." Chuck said raising his hand, fingers at ready. All five archangels glanced at one another, wishing, hoping they got a chance, a real chance to work through their problems and become a family they felt they were destined to be. All five archangels glanced at one another, no words of goodbyes needed as each one knew how the other felt just like that, as if they were connected.

"Goodbye boys." Chuck said and snapped his fingers.

He had the ability to retract his light form the world and still stick around to watch it perish, it was a perfect sadistic feature. But this time… This time, he retracted his light and the world shone even more brighter. He was enveloped in blinding light, to strong even for him and when he blinked, five figures were up in the air, hands holding one another, all five looking up at the sky. Castiel was in the middle, Gabriel and Michael by his sides. Lucifer stood by Michael and Raphael stood by Gabriel and they slowly brought their glowing eyes down upon God.

Castiel was the one to speak, his true voice conveying the voices of all five archangels as he said " If you won't give this world your light, then we will have to. You might not care about this family, Father, but we do. And we will not allow it to perish. We will stand together, strong and unwavering. We will stand by each other's side, forever! You, Father, are no longer welcomed in this world…"

"Goodbye, Father." All five said in the exact same time, and underneath Chuck a rift opened and he fell right through it, his voice echoing in confusion and fear until the rift closed.

All five touched back down on Earth and let go of each other's hands. All looked at one another with a smile on their faces, nodding.

"Come on, guys. – Gabriel said – Let's go home."

And all five rose from their vessels, and soared high up in the sky, vanishing with a spark of light. Five people watched them fly high, and when they brought their gaze back, they could see they were rewarded for their service and their sacrifice.

Donnie Finnerman, a mechanic from Main looked down to meet a smiling gaze of his wife Ashley.

A baby's cry brought Nick's attention to a woman standing a few feet away from him. She smiled at him and reached out with his hand and Nick? Nick started crying as he walked over to his Sarah and looked down on his son Teddy.

Adam Milligan found himself engulfed in a tight hug by his mother Kate. There was a heavy hand on his shoulder and he looked up and met his father's eyes as John smiled at him before turning his head at his other boys.

Sam and Dean. They were standing there, smiling one second looking at their dad, and then gasping seeing their mother walking towards them. Mary Winchester was returned to them, and soon, they would all come together as one big family.

One big, hunting family.

**Author's Note:**

> Yeah, this kinda started as a joke and then turned into something... I don't know how this happened, honestly. It was just supposed to be about the stupid autocorrect that annoys me like hell, but the one I can't live without. But, anyway... Loved to hear what you think.


End file.
